A Small Victory over Littering: How One Man Cleaned Up a Beach
There’s a saying: “Clean isn’t where people clean up, it’s where people don’t litter.” And it really is true.
People sunbathing a couple of meters from a pile of trash
Unfortunately, there are plenty of people who leave trash behind. But there are others too – and here’s one small story that made me happy.
He beat the mess, 100 by 50 meters
One Kyiv resident went for a morning walk with his kids and, without much effort, cleaned up a stretch of beach at Rusanivski Sady – about 100 by 50 meters. Then he posted on social media: “Turned into a little Switzerland! I think I’ll tell people – what if it’s contagious?”
A clean riverbank and two bags of trash
Thank you to people like him for being there, and for their small victory over littering!
Magic anyone can do
Let’s all at least sometimes win our own small victory over laziness, littering and indifference – and the world will get better.
Before and after: the same tree by the lake
To make a cleanup like this take half an hour and not spoil your walk:
- bring a couple of sturdy bags and gloves (household ones are fine);
- put glass and sharp cans in separately so the bag doesn’t tear;
- carry full bags to the nearest bins instead of leaving them by a tree – otherwise dogs and wind will scatter them;
- start with a small patch: even 10 meters of clean shore is noticeable right away.
Because it’s magic anyone can do :-)